The smallest bird of Eurasia and Northern. The yellow stripe on the head caused people to associate it with the crown. The size and appearance do not allow calling the bird a king. That's why the singing baby got the name wren. The scientific name of the genus is Regulus, meaning knight, king.
Description and features
The king has three elements that emphasize individuality. These are size, color design (especially of the head) and body shape. The usual length of an adult bird is 7-10 cm, weight 5-7 g. That is, the wren is two and a half times smaller than the brownie. With such parameters, he won the title of the smallest bird in Eurasia and North America.
Only some warblers and wrens approach the kinglet in weight and size. The wren is very active and fussy. A small, tossing ball with a crown on its head, announcing itself by singing at high notes. Perhaps in his appearance and behavior people saw some kind of parody of crowned heads, and therefore called the bird a king.
Males and females are approximately the same size and have the same body shape. The color of the plumage varies. Bright yellow-red stripes with a dark edge are noticeable in males. In exciting moments, when the male is trying to demonstrate his importance, the yellow feathers on the head begin to puff up, forming a semblance of a crest.
There are differences in the plumage of male, female and young kingbirds
The back and shoulders of the birds are olive-colored. The lower part of the head, chest and belly are light, faint gray-green. On the middle part of the wings there are transverse white and black stripes. Next come longitudinal alternating stripes. In females, the parietal feathers are duller, sometimes visible only during the mating season. In general, females, as is often the case with birds, are less impressively colored.
The body shape is spherical. The wings open to a length twice the size of the body - 14-17 cm. One wing is 5-6 cm long. The head does not violate the general rounded outlines of the body. It seems that the bird has no neck at all.
The lively, round eyes are emphasized by an outline of white feathers. In some species, a dark stripe runs through the eyes. The beak is small and pointed. The nostrils are moved to the base of the beak, each covered with a feather. Only one species - the ruby kinglet - has several feathers covering the nostrils.
The tail is not long, with a weak middle notch: the outer tail feathers are longer than the middle ones. The limbs are quite long. The tarsus is covered with a continuous leathery plate. Fingers are strong and developed. There is a depression on the soles to improve the girth of the branch. For the same purpose, the hind finger is extended and has a long claw on it. The design of the legs indicates a frequent stay on the branches.
While on bushes and trees, kinglets make acrobatic movements and flips, and often hang upside down. Two species - the yellow-headed and ruby wren - are not so attached to trees and often catch insects in flight. As a result, they do not have a notch on the sole, and the toes and claws are shorter than those of other species.
The wren is hardly noticeable in the forest. It can be heard more often than seen. Males repeat their not very intricate song from April until the end of summer. King's song represents repetitions of whistles, trills, sometimes at a very high frequency. The singing of males is associated not only with their readiness to reproduce, it is an effective way to declare themselves and their rights to a given territory.
Kinds
The biological classifier includes the most numerous order of birds - passerines. It includes 5,400 species and more than 100 families. Originally, before 1800, warblers were part of the warbler family, which includes small songbirds.
Having studied the morphology of birds in more detail, naturalists decided that kinglets and warblers have little in common. We created a separate family of kinglets in the biological classifier. There is only one genus in the family - the kinglets or, in Latin, Regulidae.
The biological classifier is constantly being adjusted. New phylogenetic studies add fuel to the fire. As a result, birds that were previously considered subspecies increase their taxonomic rank to become species, and vice versa. Today, seven species of kinglets are included in the family.
- Yellow-headed wren. The species is distinguished by a parietal yellow stripe with a dark edging. Males have a wider stripe with reddish markings. In females it is sunny-lemon. Included in the classifier under the name Regulus regulus. Unites about 10 subspecies. Breeds in coniferous and mixed Eurasian forests.
Yellowhead, the most common species of kinglet
Listen to the singing of the yellow-headed wren
- Canary kinglet. Until recently, it was considered a subspecies of the yellow-headed kinglet. Now it is separated into an independent species. The Canary Kinglet is characterized by a wider black frame around the golden stripe on the head. Scientists gave the species the name Regulus teneriffae. Main place of residence - Canary Islands.
- Red-headed wren. The color design of the head includes a yellow-orange stripe, mandatory for all kinglets, wide black stripes running on both sides of the yellow crown, and white, clearly visible eyebrows. Classification name: Regulus ignicapillus. Found in temperate latitudes of Europe and North Africa.
Listen to the singing of the red-headed wren
- Madeira kinglet. The position in the biological classifier of this bird has been revised in the 21st century. Previously considered a subspecies of the red-headed kinglet, in 2003 it was recognized as an independent species. It was given the name Regulus madeirensis. A rare bird, endemic to the island of Madeira.
- Taiwanese kinglet. The color design of the main parietal stripe differs little from the nominative appearance. The framing black stripes are slightly wider. The eyes are highlighted with black spots, which are surrounded by a white border. The chest is white. The sides and undertail are yellow. Scientific name - Regulus goodfellowi. It nests and winters in the montane, coniferous and evergreen forests of Taiwan.
- Golden-headed wren. Birds with an olive-gray back and a slightly lighter belly. The head is colored approximately the same as that of the nominate species. In Latin they are called Regulus satrapa. Warbler's wren, the goldenhead lives in the United States and Canada.
- Ruby-headed kinglet. The dorsal (upper) part of the birds is olive and green. The lower half - chest, abdomen, undertail - is light gray with a slight olive tint. The main decoration of the kings - a bright stripe on the head - can only be seen in males at the moment of their excitement. Scientists call the bird Regulus calendula. Found in coniferous North American forests, mainly in Canada and Alaska.
Listen to the singing of the ruby-headed wren
Kinglets have a distant relative. This is a bird that nests beyond the Urals, in the southern regions of the eastern region. It is called the king warbler. Similar in size and color to the kinglet. On the head, in addition to the central yellow stripe, there are long yellow eyebrows. Wren in the photo and the king's warbler are almost indistinguishable.
Lifestyle and habitat
Kinglets are forest dwellers; they prefer coniferous and mixed forests. The habitat of kinglets coincides with the areas of distribution of common spruce. None of the species nests north of 70° N. w. Many species have overlapping living territories.
The nominate species has spread throughout most of Europe. In the Pyrenees, Balkans, and south it appears fragmentarily. The Russian habitat ends before reaching Lake Baikal. Ignoring almost all of Eastern Siberia, the wren chose the Far East as its easternmost nesting site. Some populations settled in Tibetan forests.
Two species - golden-headed and ruby-headed kinglets have colonized North America. The principle of bird distribution is the same as in Europe and Asia - kinglet bird lives where there are coniferous perennial forests. Preference is given to spruce trees. But besides spruce, kinglets relate well to Scots pine, mountain pine, fir, and larch.
All types of kinglets are not afraid of changes in height. They can thrive in forests located at sea level and rising up to 3000 meters above sea level. Due to the difficulties of observation and secretive lifestyle during the nesting period, it is not always possible to determine the exact boundaries of the range.
Banding did not fully reveal the routes and scale of migration of the kinglets. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately indicate the migration routes of birds. Moreover, many forest residents limit themselves to moving to suburban parks and forests, closer to human habitation.
Migration in which small birds participate is somewhat erratic. Migrant kinglets mix with native birds. Sometimes they change their habits and wait out the winter in deciduous forests and bushy wilds. Where they form irregular flocks of varying sizes, often in association with small tits.
The German biologist Bergman came up with a rule in the 19th century. According to this ecogeographical postulate, similar forms of warm-blooded animals acquire larger sizes when living in regions with colder climates.
The wren is a very small bird, about the size of a hummingbird.
This rule does not seem to apply to kinglets. Wherever they live in Scandinavia or Italy, they remain the smallest passerines. Within the genus Regulus, the subspecies that live near the Arctic Circle are no larger than the kinglets that live along the Mediterranean coast.
Kinglet bird sizes too small for the body to generate sufficient heat. Therefore, birds often spend winter nights united in small bird groups. They find a suitable shelter among the spruce branches and huddle together, trying to keep warm.
The social organization of birds is quite diverse. During the nesting season, kinglets lead a paired lifestyle; in other periods they form flocks, without a visible hierarchical structure. These restless groups are joined by small birds of other species. Discordant communities of birds often embark on a seasonal migration together or look for a more satisfying place to live.
Nutrition
The basis of the king's diet is insects. Most often these are arthropods with soft cuticles: aphids, soft-bodied beetles. Even more valuable are the eggs and larvae of insects. Kinglets, with the help of their thin beak, take out their food from cracks in the tree bark, from under lichen growths.
Typically, kinglets live on the upper floors of the forest, but periodically descend to the lower tiers or even to the ground. Here they pursue the only goal - to find food. Spiders often help them. Firstly, the kinglets eat them themselves, and secondly, they peck out spider prey entangled in sticky threads.
Despite its modest size, the wren has a huge appetite.
Less commonly, kinglets attack flying insects. The kinglet diversifies its protein diet with seeds of coniferous plants. They manage to drink nectar; in early spring they were observed consuming birch sap flowing from tree wounds.
Kinglets are constantly busy searching for food. They pause their singing to have a snack. It is explainable. Birds are small, metabolic processes in the body proceed very quickly. Requires continuous feeding. If the wren does not eat something within an hour, it may die of hunger.
Reproduction and lifespan
In spring, the wren begins to sing intensely. This indicates that the breeding season is approaching. He claims his territory and calls the female. Kinglets are monogamous. There are no special tournaments between males. Usually a ruffled appearance and a fluffy comb are enough to drive out an opponent.
A couple builds a shelter for the chicks. King's nest- This is a cup-shaped structure suspended on a branch. The nest can be located at very different heights from 1 to 20 m. In May, the female lays about a dozen small eggs. The short diameter of the egg is 1 cm, the long one is 1.4 cm. The eggs are incubated by the female. The incubation process lasts 15-19 days. The chicks are fed by both parents.
Kinglet chicks are still dependent on their parents, and the male begins to build a second nest. After the first brood flies onto the wing, the entire procedure is repeated with the second clutch. The survival rate of chicks is low, no more than 20%. At best, only two out of 10 will bear offspring next year. This is where the life of little kings usually ends.
Kinglet nest with masonry
There is a custom in Ireland. On the second day of Christmas, St. Stephen's Day, adults and children catch kinglets and kill them. The Irish give a simple explanation for their actions. Once upon a time, Stephen, one of the first Christians, was stoned to death. The place where the Christian was hiding was shown to his persecutors by a bird - a wren. She still has to pay for this to this day.
One of the versions that explains the names of the kinglets, that is, the little king, is associated with a fable. Some attribute the authorship to Aristotle, others to Pliny. The point is this. Birds fought for the right to be called the king of birds. To do this, it was necessary to fly higher than everyone else. The smallest one hid on the eagle's back. I used it as a transport, saved my energy and ended up above everyone. So the little birdie became a king.
At the University of Bristol, ornithologists became convinced that kinglets understand not only the signals of relatives and animals neighboring them. They quickly learn to understand what birds unknown to them are screaming about. After several listenings, the kinglets began to clearly respond to the recorded alarm signal, which they had never heard before.
Description
The red-headed wren is one of the smallest birds in Europe. Its length is approximately 9 cm and its weight is from 4 to 6.5 grams. The wingspan is from 13 to 16 cm. Outwardly similar to the yellow-headed kinglet, it has a yellow-green back, a whitish-gray belly, the wings are darker and have two white stripes. The best distinguishing feature is the white eyebrows, which the species exhibits in general is somewhat more variegated than the yellow-headed kinglet. The black stripe above the eyebrows is also somewhat more pronounced. The male and female are almost similar, except that the stripe on the top of the male's head is more orange, while the stripe on the top of the female's head is more yellow. The voice is like tits, a quiet “sissisi” at the same pitch.
Habitat
The red-headed kinglet lives in coniferous and mixed forests, as well as in parks. It is not as strongly attached to coniferous forests as the yellow-headed kinglet; however, it likes to stay in the treetops. Its distribution area covers southwestern Europe, as well as North Africa.
Nutrition
Red-headed Kinglet nest
The red-headed kinglet feeds on insects and their larvae, as well as spiders.
Reproduction
The nests are deep, thickly lined with moss. They are attached mostly to the underside of the branch. The clutch consists of 7-11 eggs.
- Class: Aves = Birds
- Subclass: Ornithurae, or Neornithes = Fan-tailed birds, new birds
- Superorder: Neognathae = New palate birds, neognathae
- Order: Passeriformes = Passeriformes, passeriformes
- Suborder: Oscines = Singers
- Family: Regulidae = Kings
Species: Regulus ignicapillus (Temminck, 1820) = Red-headed kinglet
Species: Regulus ignicapillus = Red-headed kinglet
STATUS. Little-studied species (IV category) Habitat: Rare, little-studied species. Wing length 52-56 mm. Forest zone. Spreading. The northern border of the range extends into Russia. The distribution is only approximately known. Bird sightings are confined to the western part of the Greater Caucasus Range and the Black Sea coast in the area of the villages of Lazarevskoye - Khosta, perhaps somewhat wider.
Outside Russia, it is distributed in the Black Sea region of the Lesser Caucasus, in the mountains of Crimea, in Transcarpathia, as well as in the Baltic states (1 - 4). Outside the former USSR, it is found in Western Europe, the Madeira and Canary Islands, North-West Africa, and northern Asia Minor (1, 3). In recent years, in Europe and in our country, the spread of this species to new areas has been noted (5).
The nature of his stay in Russia is not completely clear. Apparently, the red-headed wren is a sedentary species, making small migrations outside the breeding season. Nesting is expected in the fir forests of the Western Caucasus. Mating behavior of birds was observed in the spring in the Krasnaya Polyana area. Males with enlarged testes and a female with an egg ready for laying were also caught here. In summer, broods of young birds were recorded in the vicinity of Sochi (6). Red-headed kinglets regularly winter on the Black Sea coast of the Western Caucasus in forests different types, predominantly deciduous, gravitating especially towards dense areas with evergreen vegetation (6 - 8).
Number. The total number of red-headed wrens is unknown. In the fir forests in the Krasnaya Polyana area in the spring of 1965, there was 1 pair of red-headed kinglets per 2-3 km of the route. In the autumn of 1966, a significant number of these birds were recorded in the area of the village of Lazarevskoye, but in the winter of 1960/61 and 1961/62. in the vicinity of Sochi, kinglets were few in number (6 - 8).
Limiting factors. Not studied. The limited distribution and low abundance are probably due to the conditions of existence of the species near the boundaries of its range. Security measures. No special security measures were taken. Some of the population lives within the Caucasus Nature Reserve. It is necessary to study the distribution and ecology of the species. Sources of information: 1. Ivanov, 1976; 2. Jordania, 1977; 3. Stepanyan, 1978; 4. Kostin et al., 1981; 5. Bosak, 1977; 6. Boehme, Stepanyan, 1974; 7. Stepanyan, 1965; 8. Stepanyan, 1966. Compiled by: V. T. Butyev.
http://nature.ok.ru/doc/birds/2_98.htm
Red-headed wren in Crimea
Breeds in coniferous forests of Western Europe, Mediterranean islands, North Africa, Asia Minor. There is very little information about this species due to the sporadic nature of its distribution. During nesting time, this wren was found in the Carpathians, the Caucasus, and Crimea. Details of the distribution in our country are unknown, biology has been little studied.
In Crimea, the red-headed wren was found in small areas of coniferous forests on the territory of a hunting reserve: in 1968 - in the Krasny Kamen tract, in 1975 - in the Central Basin. Both plots are no more than a few hectares in size. During a thorough examination of similar pine forests in other places of Crimea, these birds were not found. Whether the kinglets of the Crimean population are sedentary or migratory remains unknown.
Thus, the red-headed kinglet occupies the position of a very rare and unstudied species in the fauna of the CIS and Ukraine. The kinglet enters the territory of the CIS at the edge of its range; this bird deserves careful study and close attention as a species whose extinction for some “unknown” and “unforeseen” reasons is not excluded. It would be advisable to consider including the red kinglet in the list of rare animals in the Red Book.
To preserve the species, it is necessary to avoid any kind of forestry work in the areas where this species is supposed to nest.
The red-headed wren is as small and nimble as the yellow-headed wren. Their habitats are also similar; these are coniferous forests with a predominance of spruce and fir. The red-headed wren, like the yellow-headed one, makes its nest under the side branches of spruce or fir, intertwining its walls with needles and hanging branches. It is built, like that of the yellow-headed kinglet, mainly from moss and tapers towards the top. Its edges are strongly curved inward and protect eggs and unfledged chicks from falling out when the wind sharply sways the branches. Their nests are similar - both are spherical with an open top. The clutch of the red-headed kinglet contains from 8 to 10 eggs. The reddish coating on them is more pronounced than on the eggs of a related species. What both species have in common is the smallest eggs among European songbirds. Their average weight is 0.72 g and dimensions are 13.5 x 10.5 mm. Therefore, a clutch of 10 eggs with a total mass of 7.2 g is heavier than the female, more precisely, it represents 144% of her body weight! It seems incredible that a tiny female can produce so much substance in just 10-11 days, and even twice during the summer. She incubates the clutch alone, and the male then helps her feed the chicks.
Central European populations of the red-headed kinglet are migratory; they arrive at the nesting sites in March - April and fly away in October. They winter in the Mediterranean region. Mediterranean populations are sedentary.
The red-headed wren is very similar to the yellow-headed wren, but is noticeably more colorful. A black stripe runs through the eye, and above it is a white eyebrow. The crown of the male is bright orange, bordered by black stripes converging on the forehead. An orange tint is visible on the shoulders (1). The female differs from the male in having a yellow crown (2). The chicks do not have this coloration, but their white eyebrow is already visible.
The range of the red-headed kinglet is much smaller than that of the yellow-headed kinglet. This is Europe (without Scandinavia), Asia Minor and part of North-West Africa (3).
Another species of kinglet lives in North America - Regulus Calendula , the male of which has a bright red cap (4). The female does not have it. Both species have a white ring around the eye, which gives them the appearance of being big-eyed.